Of
the 600 preserved steam locomotives in Australia, Baldwin B/N 45215 has led
perhaps the most varied and contrasting career. It was built for the trench
railways of World War 1’s western front, later becoming war surplus material
and sold into the sugar cane fields in tropical Queensland. Finally, it was
rebuilt into ‘Wild West’ format for use on the Dreamworld theme park railway;
a remarkable transformation and change of fate from a tool of war to
amusement park ride.

One feature of the
First World War was the network of narrow-gauge trench railways used to
supply the front lines, a testament to the industrialization of warfare and
the scale of the conflict. The American Army’s trench railway systems in
France included 495 examples of Baldwin
4-6-0Ts of class 10-12-D supplied to the US Army Transportation Corps
(USATC). According to Wikipedia, 60 of these locomotives (Baldwin B/N 45163 – 45222, including preserved loco B/N 45215) were
dispatched to Egypt by the British War Office to be used by the
British Army in Sinai and Palestine during 1917.

At
the end of the conflict, Baldwin B/N 45215 joined hundreds of steam
locomotives and rolling stock stored as war surplus materiel in stowage dumps
around the UK, many later being sold to various users around the world. For
Baldwin B/N 45215, its second career was provided by the sugar industry in
Australia’s tropical north, finding employment in cane haulage for the
Racecourse Mill, Mackay where it was No.5 in the mill loco fleet.

I
can’t find much information regarding this locomotive’s date of retirement or
early preservation history, but it was stored at the Goulburn Steam Museum
from June 1972 to early 1974. A significant change of fortunes came when a
new theme park ‘Dreamworld’ was being established in the late 1970’s at
Coomera on the Gold Coast. It is traditional for theme parks to feature a
loop railway with ‘Wild West’ steam locomotives linking the various theme
lands, following the model established by Disneyland, Anaheim at its opening
in 1955. Accordingly, a similar railway was envisaged for Dreamworld and
Baldwin B/N 45215 was purchased and extensively rebuilt in time for Dreamworld’s 1981 opening, being launched as
No.4 ‘Baldwin’ on their Cannonball
Express tourist train. Rebuilding included conversion from 4-6-0T to 4-6-0 tender
configuration, with a large wooden cab, ornamental steam and sand
domes, and a balloon chimney stack (originally designed to catch sparks from
wood-burning locos) to
resemble a 1880’s US design. The locomotive was also
converted to oil-firing.

At Dreamworld, No.4 ‘Baldwin’ loco
shared duties on the Cannonball Express with ‘Perry’ (ex-Bingera Mill No.5) while displayed
along the line could also be found the Rocky
Point Fowler. After several decades of successful steam operation,
Dreamworld management scaled down the railway operation to weekends and
public holiday operation, purchasing a steam-outline diseasal locomotive in
2013 as lead motive power for their railway. (The Perry locomotive was
graciously donated to ANGRMS while the Baldwin was retained as second
engine.) As at 2018, steam power can still be enjoyed at Dreamworld as the
Baldwin locomotive usually operates on the first Saturday of every month
(excepting periods of overhaul).

Theme
park railways have an interesting place in the history and development of
railway preservation. The most famous theme park worldwide is Disneyland in
Anaheim, California, which has featured since is 19955 opening a circular
railway linking the entry pavilion with various theme villages. This line was
apparently inspired by one of Walt Disney’s top cartoon animators, Ward
Kimball and his private Grizzly
Flats Railroad, their friendship including a shared passion for steam
railways. Motive power for the Disneyland Railroad at Anaheim includes some rebuilt Forney 0-4-4T
locomotives, together with reproduction 4-4-0 locos.When a second Disney theme park ‘Walt
Disney World’ was under construction at Orlando, Florida a fleet of four
Baldwin 4-6-0s were rescued from a defunct Mexican railroad for the Walt Disney World Railroad and again heavily modified to
1880’s ‘Wild West’ configuration aka Anaheim. The ‘Wild West’ railroad
linking themes pattern has been broadly followed by later Disney and other
theme park operators worldwide, usually with reproduction steam locomotives
on narrow-gauge rails.

I would
appreciate the contribution of additional photos for this locomotive, from
any of the various stages of its career.

References

a

Light
Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. Web site
(as at 11 June 2018):